Method of molding building blocks



Dec. 14,1943. V N. J. MORTIMER 1 2,336,949

METHOD OF MOLDING BUILDING BLOCKS IN V EN TOR.

NEMH/VJM OET/MEE.

A TTORNEKS Dec. 14, 1943. N. J. MORTIMER 2,336,949

METHOD OF MOLDING BUILDING BLOCKS Filed July 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

QIJEMANJMEWMEE.

ATTOENEYS Patented Dec. ,14, 1943 e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MOLDING BUILDING BLOCKS Norman J. Mortimer, New Hope, Pa. Application Jul 25, 1942, Serial No. 452,256

1 Claim.

This invention relates to building blocks and methods of making same, and to the construction of walls thereof. The invention is particularly applicable to the making of building blocks of concrete or the like, or of similar compositions, and in such manner that the faces of each block will simulate in fine detail the faces of a group of brick, so that when the blocks are built into a wall, the wall will have the appearance of having been made of common building brick and with the appearance of manual pointing work between all the brick simulations, uninterrupted at the junctures of the blocks.

It has heretofore been proposed to so form concrete building blocks that the face of each block represents the faces of a plurality of brick and with spaces or channels corresponding in ar rangement tov pointing work. However, such spaces or channels were of square or rectangular cross section and the brick representations were of uniform regular appearance so that the face of the block, even when inspected at a considerable distance, gave an artificial or mechanical appearance quite noticeably different from the appearance of ordinary manually laid-up brick walls. When such blocks are laid up to form a wall, the necessary actual cement pointing work along the junctures of the blocks also gives an appearance distinctly different from the rigidly geometric pointing simulations on each block itself, and thus exposes the outline of each block and gives the wall an unsightly appearance.

In an ordinary brick wall, there are minor variations and irregularities in each brick as well as minor irregularities in the spacing and angular position of the brick, and in the thickness and character of the pointing between brick. The latter types of irregularities will inevitably occur in laying up the brick, and similar irregularities will occur with concrete blocks, 1. e., the thickness of the layer of pointing cement between the blocks will vary and the angular positions and spacings of whole blocks as laid up will vary slightly. Hence with a wall formed of concrete blocks of the type heretofore known and above referred to, the outline of the blocks as distinguished from brick simulations, is further made prominent and unsightly, because the brick and pointing simulations are geometric and regular on each block, but not as between adjacent blocks.

With the present invention, the above noted difficulties are overcome in a simple and inexpensive way and so that walls of concrete building blocks may be constructed at a small fraction of the cost of common brick walls, and yet simulating a wall of common brick inv such fine detail, that the difference is not noted even on close inspection.

According to the present invention, the building blocks are made in a mold having a mold face formed by using at a matrix, a portion of an actual-laid-up brick wall including the desired type of manual pointing work between bricks. The outline of the mold face is shaped to conform to the outline of a plurality of complete bricks'in the actual brick wall, preferably bricks laid up in normal lapped relationship in two or more courses. The face of the concrete block mold is therefore formed to'include all of the minor irregularities of actual individual and differentbrick, as well as any irregularities in the spacing and angular positions of such brick as laid up in a wall. Thus when the finished concrete blocksfrom such molds are laid up in a wall, any minor irregularities in the angular position and spacing thereof will not be noticeably different from the irregularities between the individual brick simulations. Furthermore, and what is perhaps of more importance, the simulation of the pointing work between brick on each block may, according to this invention, be so'made that the pointing work between finished blocks as embodied in a wall will accurately correspond thereto, and hence give the appearance of pointing work free of interruptions between blocks.

The form and character of pointing work simulations on each block may be readily made to conform accurately to the type of pointing work which masons of any local. region customarily perform. And since the pointing work simula tions as cast on the face of the block may if desired,i. be of the samecement mixture used for the pointing between blocks, all of the pointing on the resulting wall. while involving the minor irregularities of manual work, will not only be of the same character and shape but of substantially the same composition. Hence even after weathering, the joints in the pointing between blocks will not be noticeably exposed.

The concrete block wall of the present invention after being laid up and dried out, is well adapted tobe whitewashed or painted to give the exact appearance of whitewashed or white painted brick walls. Also such a whitened concrete wall after weathering, will give the attractive and often desired appearance of a whitened brick wall which has been weathered for a long period. These effects may be en- 1 block ,niolding 'procedurefsofastc face i man mum b i k, W1:- .s1asn st t a 1. 3 21110155- h ll- 1d?li 'i' 'b iif w I shapedja's" toJcor 'espond toiseveral@completebrick in the hanced by use of suitably tinted'or colored concrete mixtures.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below taken with the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example certain preferred forms of the invention. The invention consists in such novel methods, features and combinations as may be shown and described in connectionpwith the examples herein disclosed. I

In the drawings,

, able to imitate-in pointing up the blocks.

Fig. 1 is a perspective .view showing a' concrete.

building block made in accordance with one embodiment'of the invention; a

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wall including one form of corner construction, made with blocks as of Fig. 1;-

Fig. 3 is a view similar to-Fig. 2 but. showing an alternative form ofzwall made with blocks as of Fig.1, but with a'corner construction formed.

with common building. brick; and

'Figs.'- 4, S and '6 respectively are perspective views-of alternativeforms of blocks embodying.

the invention. In'FigL l the l2, l3 and i4 are spaced apart by representations building block lfl is so constructed fas-to'represent ifour common building brick arranged in lapped relationship in two courses, 'in- I cluding two bricks ine'ach course. 5 As shown, the representationsoiithe'faces-of the brick as at I I,

In forming a corner construction with the blocks as of Fig. 1, it will be noted that blocks as at I0'-may simply be so placed that their protruding brick .representations as at II' will I underlie, at right angles, protruding brick representations as at M of blocks such as at In. In cases where blocks of this type are to be used at the corners of a wall, the end faces as at 2|,

2| of the brick representations as at II and I4 should preferably also'be molded or cast in accordance with the end of an actual brick used as a matrix. However, this is not essential since even if the ends of alternate bricks at the corner do appear more regular and hence slightly difier-' ent from the remainder of the brick representations, the effect is notv objectionable under most circumstances.

of pointing. work as at IS. The block as here shown maybe molded or cast of concrete or other isuitable known' b'uildin'gz block-composition material. And as above explained, the face of the mold used should I be v.formeil by using a portionoi anacfltuaI brick'wall as aimatrix. -That ispa portion of abrick wall isus'edhwhich will have an appearance the sarn'e asfzthatgof the face of the includin'g brick respectively;

tlmlh r irr'eg'ularities like outlin Qt ol brick'liflwhen to wall, t will eac -seam n,

embody j a mold T 1 no hi1. liTha is, the. i 1r Toner-lapped re a p maybeobtainedyby whitewashing or painting dill; g r -ex m and ointe withQceme'nt be- With the wall construction as shown in Fig. 3, blocks-as at l0, 10 may be laid up the 'same'as in Fig. 2, except that at the corners in each course, one or more ordinary brick as at 22, 23

may be interposed, these bricks of alternate courses respectively being placed at right angles and after such treatment the wall will give the exact appearance, even on close inspection, ofa whitewashed or painted wall made of common building brick. And after such a whitewall has weathered, it will give an appearance sometimes considered highly desirable, of a common brick I wall whitened by lime-like exudations or weathered whitewash- Hwdesired, this effect may be .i enhanced by incorporating suitable known red .orqother coloring materials in the composition fromfwhich the block is made, or in-that part 01! the composition .used at the faces of the block.

'With-the construction crime, a desirable effect a vnatural.colon thus} giving the walltheflappeab. .ance' oi. having a strengthened or -special corner ;construction.

While, the block resentations of two brick-in each of three courses;

These larger blocks are adapted for rapid construction of inexpensive walls. 1

senjtations of; iour brick "provides a, convenient 'size;fo'r, most purposes, it will-be understood that j thg nvention. is applicable toblocks" of other:

*sizes' having, Ior example, representations of 'Figs;;4, 5 and 6, or combinationsthereoi, Fig; 4

shows a blockembodylng ,a pluralit oi brick frepresentations'in two courses, includin two in h-..1W 0 5?'e dfsiha' n e-upp course ;-.'This i-b10Cl is,Wl1 adapted "Iorjjuse atzcorners or gends-ot lwalls where i'nsuiflcient space is available ,ior the.. i our brick blockas, of Fig. 1. The block a off-Fl Siembo'dies representations of three brick work. being or he sain'e' character and: general appearance-bis that whichformed the matrix for I claim:

Method for forming building blocks adapted for the construction of walls simulating brick walls, which comprises taking a small group of building brick having at least slight variations in shape, manually laying same with cement in conventional lapped arrangement and with manual pointing work which includes the normal irregularities of such pointing, using the face of the assembly thus laidv as a matrix for forming the face of a mold for casting the building blocks, forming the outline of such mold face to conform to the outline of a plurality of complete brick as embodied in a plurality of courses, and casting the blocks against such mold face whereby said 15 5- form a wall with the brick simulations lapped at the lines of juncture of the blocks, and with conventional manual pointing of cement between blocks matching and merging uninterruptedly with the adjacent pointing simulations on the 10 blocks, thereby concealing the existence of joints between the actual pointing ofthe blocks and the pointing simulations on each block at the junctures of the blocks.

c NORMAN J. MOR'IIMER. 

